MASS CULTURE AND THE HARLEM

RENAISSANCE

NEW TRENDS IN POPULAR CULTURE With the consumer revolution of the 1920s,

American wages grew 30%, but the standard of living remained the same. This provided more disposable income.

Americans used this disposable income for leisure activities such as spectator sports, movies, and radios/phonographs. The first movie with sound was The Jazz Singer in 1927.

Both movies and radio helped create a shared culture because of its mass distribution.

AN AGE OF HEROES The popularity of spectator sports grew in

the 1920s– baseball, football and boxing. No other sports star was as iconic as Babe Ruth.

Mass media also helped capture the major events of the time period, such as Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic in his plane, The Spirit of Saint Louis.

WOMEN ASSUME NEW ROLES Women’s roles changed socially, politically

and economically during the 1920s. Socially, women had more freedom. The symbol of

social change for women was the flapper– a young woman who wore short dresses and had short hair.

Politically, women gained the right to vote in 1920. With its passage, women became more politically active.

Economically, women returned to housework, but benefitted from the emerging modern conveniences.

MODERNISM IN ART AND LITERATURE Art and literature changed after the war to reflect

new ideas and thoughts of the American people. Art reflected the uncertainty of what direction to go after the war, conflicting with traditional artistic themes.

Similarly, postwar writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and T.S. Eliot reflected a growing disconnect in traditional ideas. They wanted their writings to reflect new ideas and influences.

A NEW “BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS” The prominent African American leader of

the 1920s was Marcus Garvey. Unlike Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois,

Garvey wanted the races to be separate. Garvey promoted black nationalism and

organized a “Back to Africa” movement. However, when Garvey was deported back to

Jamaica on mail fraud, the movement died.

THE JAZZ AGE Jazz, a musical style that blended African

and European forms of music, emerged from New Orleans in the 1920s. Major musicians included Louis Armstrong, Bessie

Smith, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. It was not limited to a specific race.

Jazz moved North during the Great Migration as African Americans looked for industrial jobs.

THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE The Harlem Renaissance was an expression

of African American culture in the United States by poets, novelists and writers. Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Zora Neale

Hurston to name a few. Major themes from the Harlem Renaissance

included the diversity of African American life and the desire for freedom of expression for both men and women.

CLOSING QUESTION

How did the 1920s symbolize a changing culture? Provide two

examples as evidence, and explain HOW they demonstrate change.